The Quick and the Dead
by King in Yellow
Summary: Before his death Sensei feels compelled to explain Hana's origins to her, and ask for her forgiveness. The young woman finds the truth even more traumatic than ignorance. Best Enemies universe
1. Long Distance Call

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

Visit my profile for a fast overview of the Best Enemies universe.

NoDrogs created the twins, whose origins have been altered in my stories.

**Long Distance Call**

In her sleep his voice spoke in Hana's mind, as it had often spoken through the years. But she sensed an urgency she had not experienced before.

"You must come to Yamanouchi," he instructed her.

"I plan to come again this summer. I have asked a friend, Sheki Possible, to come with me. I should have asked your permission first--"

"No, you should have asked the permission of Hiro. I have not run the school for years. It is his choice, and a grave insult that you failed to consult him."

"I am sorry, Sensei. You are right. But I can not speak with him as I speak to you. Will you please apologize for my insult and ask if I may bring her?"

"I will ask. The daughter of Kim Possible should be welcome here. When had you planned to come?"

"In two weeks I will have--"

"In two weeks I will be dead. I must see you before I die."

"Before you die? I don't--" she could not accept that the old man was dying and wanted to keep the specter of death away through her denial.

"Please, there is much I have never told you. Much I should have told you. Before I die I must ask for your forgiveness, Master."

In her bed in Middleton Hana sat up and yelled, "Mom! Dad! I have to go to Japan. I have to go now!"

Rachel Stoppable reached the bedroom first. She sat down on the bed and took her sobbing daughter in her arms, "It's okay. It was just a bad dream. You're fine, dear."

"It is not okay, Mom. And it wasn't a dream. Sensei is dying and wants to see me. I have to go."

The Stoppables looked at each other. They understood the frequent trips to Japan were part of the conditions attached to Hana, but they always worried that some year she would not come back to them. She was eighteen or nineteen now - without an exact birth date they could never be certain.

"How do you plan to get there?" her father asked.

"I don't know, Dad. I just know I have to go."

Her mother sighed, "Think about it overnight. See if you can check the information in the morning. We'll help in anyway we can."

Hana called Sheki's cell at an indecently early hour in the morning. The Japanese girl, still not sure how to get to Japan, but knowing she must go, told Sheki about the change in plans. "I've got to leave as soon as I can. I don't know if I can take you… No, I'm sure you can come. But I don't know how I'm going to get there. Can you ask your Mom if she still has any connections for rides?"

"I'll ask. This is really an emergency?"

"On a scale of one to ten I believe this rates a twelve."

"I'll call you back as soon as I talk with the parental units."

The dark haired girl heard the sound of television news through the open doorway of her parents' room as she padded down the hallway. Mom and Eemah were propped up on pillows, with Jane resting against Shego.

"Oh, look," Kim told Shego, "We got one of the big ones." She slid closer to Shego and patted the bed beside her, "There's still room for you."

"Got a problem," the teenager confessed as she snuggled up in the crook of Kim's arm. "Hana called--"

"Is your trip off?" Shego asked.

"I'm really not sure what's happening with her. She says she needs to go to Japan, like yesterday. Major emergency of some kind. She wants me to ask Mommy if she still has any ride connections."

Kim asked, "You have no idea about the nature of the emergency?"

"No."

Kim looked at her partner, "I'm inclined to trust her, she's just about family." Shego nodded in agreement. "The problem is, I haven't kept up the old ride network. Wade ran that, and Global Justice takes me where I need to go now."

Shego rolled over and picked up a phone from the nightstand, "Speaking of Wade and family," she muttered as she punched in a number. There was a minute of silence as a phone rang on the other end.

"Hello?" Shego adopted a simpler tone as she spoke on the phone. "No, this is auntie Shego. … Is your daddy awake? … Will you look, please? … Okay, I'll hold on." There was a minute of quiet before she spoke again, "Yeah, and I love you too. I hope you didn't use language like that with your son in the room. … Damn it, how stupid do you think I am? Is your brain in gear yet? I wouldn't bother you at home this early if it wasn't an emergency. … I need Lipsky and Load's corporate jet for emergency trip to Japan. … No, for Hana -- Ron's sister. … Anything you need delivered or beancounters who need to attend a meeting? … Great! … Oh, and Wade, thanks."

Shego got out of bed and began pulling open drawers, "Move!" she told Sheki. "You got to pack, we leave about one. Call Hana."

"What are you doing," Kim demanded.

"I'm the pilot. Good luck with the two red heads, all three of you are trouble."

"Eemah!" Jane protested.

"And I love you all," she told the youngest daughter, kissing her on the head.

---

Author's Note: This falls after Spook Chasers.


	2. Long Flight Over

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

**Long Flight**

The Stoppables pulled into the private terminal around noon. Hana seemed unusually silent and it worried her parents. "Are you sure you're all right?" her mother asked for the fortieth time.

"I am certain of very little. But Sensei told me that he wished to speak to me about who I am and where I came from. I want to know better who I am."

Rachel reached over and gripped her husband's hand, afraid of what their daughter might find out.

"I'll be fine, Mom, I promise," the Japanese girl told them.

Sheki saw them out the window and went out to help. "Eemah is doing pre-flight. I know we refuel in Hawaii, but we don't have any time to beach."

"That is fine. I simply wish to get to Japan." After a final kiss from Hana to each of her parents the Stoppables drove home.

The two girls went through a cursory security check and entered a waiting area. "Eemah said she'd be in after checking the plane," Sheki told Hana.

Twenty minutes later Shego entered the terminal, smiling and wiping oil off her hands. "Going to feel good to fly. I need the air time to keep up my license."

Her daughter looked at her, aghast. "Eemah! Did you have to wear that?"

Shego looked down at the green and black cat suit, "Hey, I like to put on the old suit every so often just to prove I can. Not bad for an old broad, huh? Gravity has been good to me."

Hana smiled and Sheki blushed. "Eemah! please!"

"Ah, C'mon," Shego said, patting her daughter's head, "admit it. You appreciate the fact your parents still look sexy after all these years."

"You're embarrassing me in public, _again_. I swear, some day I'll hire a lawyer and get a divorce from you and Mommy if you keep embarrassing me."

"Thinking like a lawyer, I'm so proud of you," Shego beamed at Sheki. "Never have children," the green woman warned Hana. "There's something in King Lear about 'Sharper than a serpent's tooth' and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with kids."

Hana's concerns were more immediate, "When will be able to leave?"

"They should be done fueling in about fifteen minutes. In the air in thirty, I hope. You two come over here, I need to introduce you to the other passengers."

The other passengers included a lawyer from Japan who had finished work on a contract between his firm and Lipsky and Load, and felt delighted to head home by private carrier two days earlier than his scheduled flight. An engineer went along to coordinate the joint venture worked out by the lawyers, and a new hire in security was there to deliver a cargo no one was allowed to talk about and pick up some specialized parts. Neither American felt happy about having his trip moved up with so little notice, but the security guard planned to use the bonus for stocking up on hentai manga before the return trip.

Shego put her arms around the two girls, "And these will be your stewardesses for the flight," she told the men. "One of them could break all three of you in half without breaking a sweat. The other one is my underage daughter; even think a dirty thought about her and you'll wish the other one had broken you in half before I get through with you."

Once in the air the two girls went into the galley to familiarize themselves with the contents.

The Japanese lawyer requested mini bottles of liquor, until he passed out -- his preferred state for long distance flights. The engineer had eaten before leaving, but requested a soda and being left alone as he dug out a laptop to do some work. The young security guard hadn't eaten, and Sheki and Hana prepared meals for the three of them and Shego.

Hana felt too anxious to relax and prowled the cabin to the engineer's annoyance. Sheki found a DVD of a movie she wanted to watch and wore headphones to keep the noise from bothering anyone else. Hana eventually used the flight to Hawaii for meditation.

After refueling Shego called Hana into the cockpit and asked the Japanese girl to monitor the instruments while the plane flew on autopilot on the long hop over the Pacific and the pale woman took a brief nap.

When they touched down in Maebashi the engineer helped the lawyer onto a train for Tokyo. Security guards from a Japanese factory were there to help the American security guard with the cargo. "Be back here in two weeks," Shego told him.

"Are you taking your vacation to do this for me?" Hana asked.

"Nah," Shego assured her. "With the money Lipsky and Load pays my firm I told them I was flying a load of high tech stuff over to Japan and they just assumed I'm doing work as long as I'm here."

"What are you going to be doing, Eemah?"

Shego smiled. "I'm a little out of touch with an _alma mater_. I'm going to train for a couple weeks. See if the skills have atrophied or if I still have it."

"Can we contact you?" Hana asked.

"About as easily as I can contact you, I imagine. Call Kim if you need me. I'll try to figure out a way to keep in touch with her."

Hana helped Shego find her bus, then found one for her and Sheki. "I hope you remembered to pack as lightly as I warned you," the Japanese girl fretted as the bus neared their stop. "At Yamanouchi it is your honor to carry in everything you will need."


	3. The Long Road Back

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners.

**The Long Road Back  
**

On a bus Shego stared out the window, wondering what reception she would receive. This promised to be an even more painful reunion than the one Kim had forced her to have with her family. She sighed and hoped this meeting could go as well. Many things had changed about her in seventeen years, she wondered if the school's opinion about her had changed as well. She tried to formulate a second plan if this visit did not go well and couldn't decide if a drunken binge in Tokyo or a fast trip home to admit failure and cry on Kim's shoulder sounded like the better option.

Hana and Sheki shouldered their backpacks before leaving their bus. "Race you to the top," Sheki suggested as they moved to the exit door.

Hana laughed, "Ah, the optimism of one who has never seen the road ahead."

Two young men stood at the bus stop, but didn't get on. It appeared they waited for the arrival of the girls. Sheki assumed Hana had called and told the school she was on her way. She would have been surprised to learn Hana had not. Hana knew no call had been made, but felt no surprise that her arrival was anticipated. She had realized no call was necessary.

"+Leave your pack with me, you must go to the school at once,+" one young man told Hana.

"+I carry my own pack,+" she told him.

"+You can travel faster without it,+" he replied.

"+If you can keep up with me while I'm carrying it, I'll let you carry it for me,+" she promised. She turned to Sheki, "I must hurry. This student," she nodded her head at the second man, "will see you to the school." Hana seemed to vanish, and the startled young man she had been talking with took off at a trot to find her.

Sheki introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Sheki Possible. I'm pleased to be here," and stuck out her hand.

He bowed slightly, "Akira."

He said nothing else, but turned and headed in the direction the other student had gone. Sheki sighed and dropped her hand, he was cute but she was really hoping to meet some guy who was more communicative. The two of them traveled about fifty meters before they found the other student looking perplexed. The two men spoke rapidly in Japanese, and while Sheki couldn't understand a single word of the conversation she guessed it was something along the lines of, "Where in the hell did she go?" and "How would I know?"

"Hey guys, can we head for the school?" she wanted to know.

One grunted something which could have been agreement, an obscenity, or hacking up a hairball and they turned and began walking. She had to move quickly to keep up. Sheki would not have minded if either had offered to carry her pack for her, but it didn't happen. As Hana had warned her, it would be her honor to carry in what she needed.

Hana paused, as she always did, to bow at the torii just off the path to Yamanouchi. She regarded herself as a non-observant Jew and couldn't understand the compulsion -- she had never even visited the small shrine beyond the gate -- but found herself stopping there every time she took the path. Normally she did it without even thinking about her action. Today the automated response irritated her. She needed to get to the school and even resented the seconds this added to her trip.

Hirotaka paced near the entry to Yamanouchi. He had held his last meeting with Sensei that morning and didn't know if fear or joy was his stronger feeling. Sensei had turned the school over to him years earlier as his health began to fail, but as long as Sensei lived Hiro was never be fully accepted. Students and teachers always demanded to know what Sensei's opinion was of any decision Hiro made. Finally, with Sensei dead his position should be secure, or should be secure.

Hiro owed his position to his wife, who did not believe he should be head of the school. And while she would never speak a word against him in public he still felt betrayed. He feared and hated Ron Stoppable with a passion that made meditation difficult. After talking with Sensei he realized he had even more reason to fear Hana than Ron. And perhaps the greatest and most crushing fear was a sense of his own inadequacy. He knew he was not ready to head the school.

Hiro fumed as he paced and waited. As head of the school he should not be out waiting for the arrival of a student. As he cursed Hana in his mind Yori appeared, red-eyed from crying.

"+She is almost here,+" Yori informed him.

"+Did your grandfather have any last message?+" Hiro asked.

"+Only that he loved me,+" she lied. His actual command had been for Yori to try and be a better wife.

Hana saw the couple as soon as she entered and stopped to bow to them. Her bow to Yori lasted a second longer than the bow to Hiro and went slightly deeper. Many would not have noticed the difference between the bows or realized significance in the fact. But a proud man would see it as a deliberate insult, and Hiro was a proud man. Hiro would never like her because of Ron. Hana knew that and always sensed his dislike. Today she picked up even stronger emotions emanating from him, an almost palpable hatred and fear.

The young girl noticed Yori's tears, "+Is Sensei…+"

"+Grandfather will not die until he sees you. You must go at once.+"

---

Chapter 3 of Best Enemies: Redux for Shego's relations with her training school.


	4. A Long Talk

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. All registered trade names property of their owners.

If it's not clear + signs within quotations indicate speech in a different language. Japanese in the case of this particular story.

**A Long Talk**

Sheki panted slightly as she tried to keep up with the two young men on the trail ahead of her. Apparently Ron and Hana had not exaggerated the story of the hike in. She wondered if she could feel justified about irritation towards them for telling the truth.

At the school Hana slid open the door and entered Sensei's quiet room. The stark simplicity always surprised her. She expected visible symbols of his life around him, but instead he emphasized his detachment from the world. He had seemed ancient to her from her earliest memory. But she was not prepared for today. Even though she had seen him in decline over the last few years the change in his appearance shocked her. His gaunt form lay on the futon, under a heavy blanket. The skin of his face was like dry parchment, drawn tightly over a skull. She could not tell immediately if he even breathed. "+Sensei?+" she whispered softly.

He turned at the sound of her voice, "+Welcome, child and Master. You honor me with your presence.+"

Hana hesitated, not certain what to do and burning with curiosity about the strange greeting.

"+Please sit,+" he invited and she sank cross-legged onto a straw mat beside the futon.

She worked up her courage, "+Sensei, when you spoke to me in Middleton you called me Master. Here today, when I entered, you called me Master again. I do not understand.+"

He had rehearsed his speech a thousand times in his mind over the years, and could put it off not longer, "+I need your forgiveness, Master. You are the living evidence of my weakness, my greatest failure as head of your school.+"

If anything Hana felt even more confused, and feared his mind had started to lose contact with this world, "+I still do not understand why you call me Master.+"

"+You know you are different from others, do you not?+" he asked kindly.

"+The fact that sometimes I know things I've never learned? Some things come more easily to me than they do to other people, and some things are more difficult. I am raised in America and I still sound like a foreigner.+"

Sensei nodded. "+Toshimiru founded Yamanouchi centuries ago. The Master was the greatest warrior of his age, and a great magician. With the Lotus Blade he carved Yamanouchi from the living rock of the mountain and served as the first head of the school.+"

The girl sat quietly, wondering why he told her what everyone who ever came to Yamanouchi knew.

"+The Master loved his school very deeply, and left behind a secret mystic weapon that later heads of the school could call upon in times of greatest peril.+"

"+Ron told me of Monkey Fist trying to steal the weapon.+"

Sensei tried to laugh, but it turned into a raspy cough. "+Monkey Fist could never have used the weapon. It was only there for those who loved the school. It had been written down on a scroll, in case a head of school failed to pass the secret to his successor. But the language of the scroll hid the truth from the Englishman.+"

"+I still do not understand what this has to do with me.+"

"+Toshimiru himself was the weapon which would come to the aid of those who loved Yamanouchi. He left his spirit in the Lotus Blade. The spirit of the great warrior and magician has come to the aid of the school several times through the centuries."

"+I don't--+"

"+Call your weapon, Master.+"

"+My weapon?+"

"+Raise your right hand, child, and ask that your blade come to you.+"

Not fully understanding the request Hana raised her hand and concentrated, _"I wish for my weapon to come to me."_ She half-expected the Lotus Blade to appear in her hand, and half feared the prospect.

The weapon appeared in her hand, assuming a longer, heavier shape than the form it took in the Yamanouchi shrine to its founder. Hana's expression changed also, the look of curiosity over Sensei's words replaced with the look of peace. She softly ran her hands over the sword, "+It is good to hold it again.+" The room remained silent for a minute after the reunion of the sword and its Master, then Hana turned to Sensei and asked sharply, "+What has happened? Why am I like this?+"

"+I failed you.+"

"+That is obvious enough. How could the head of Yamanouchi allow this?+"

"+I can offer you no sufficient reason, Master. But I can reveal the truth. Years ago I received a premonition. Monkey Fist would use the Yono to attack the school. Twice before you saved the school from that demon's power.+" Hana nodded her head at the memory. "+I did not know how quickly the attack might come, but I knew you were our best hope. Ron is monkey master, but I did not think he loved the school enough to die for it--+"

"+To die for it?+" the Master interrupted. "+What do you mean?+"

"+You do not realize? The power of your spirit is so great, Master, that when you possess a student his own spirit is driven out. When your spirit returns to the Lotus Blade the student is dead, a shell empty of spirit.+"

"+So, Ron…+"

"+Loves the school, but not enough to die for it. I would have taken on your spirit myself--+"

"+But only the head of the school has the power to call me forth and put me into the body of another. So you could not serve as vessel.+"

"+The honor should go to the finest student at Yamanouchi, and that was Yori. She would have laid down her life to serve as vessel for your spirit, but I was weak. My granddaughter's life meant too much to me. I was unwilling to sacrifice her for the school. And I did not feel I could ask anyone else to die for Yamanouchi.+"

The room was silent for a minute. "+Who is Hana Stoppable? And why am I wearing her body?+"

"+In my weakness… I realized that if your spirit is so strong it expels that of the individual I decided to look for a body from which the spirit was already gone. Students of Yamanouchi are found throughout society. They served as my eyes. But the bodies of those who died by violence or suicide were unsuitable vessels. Then I had a call in regard to a stillbirth. The umbilical cord had been wrapped around the baby's neck and the doctors had been unable to save the child. I did not know how long until the Yono would attack, and realized this was a form which the demon could not anticipate.+"

"+Why do I remember almost nothing of this. Why has my spirit been in something of a dream state for these years?+"

"+What I had not realized is that your spirit, so strong it destroys the living who house it, allowed life to blossom in the dead form you entered. I do not know if Hana's spirit was that of the original baby, revived when you animated the body. Or if you brought a spirit with you from the Lotus Blade, or allowed a spirit without a home a place to dwell. But the other spirit found peace and dominated the body. Of course, at first I could not know that. You needed care, and the presence of a monkey master. The Yamanouchi network smuggled you out of Japan so that you could be placed under the protection of Ron.+"

"+Did the Stoppables understand any of this?+"

"+It is more of my shame, Master. I deceived them about your identity and origins. I manipulated their memories. They thought they had done all that which was necessary for a legal adoption, believed they had been engaged in the process for months. They are honest people. They knew international adoption takes years. No one is called in the morning and told, 'You may adopt a baby by noon'.+"

"+But you did not manipulate Ron's mind.+"

"+He has the monkey power. I do not think I could change his memories. I know it hurt him deeply to arrive home and find a baby for whom he was totally unprepared. It bothered his parents. They falsely remembered he had been told for months that a baby was coming, yet he acted as if it had been sprung on him without warning.+"

"+But my first fight was not with the Yono.+"

"+No, Master. Monkey Fist broke into the school library while I was in America. I suspect an ex-student, Fukushima, who had been the Englishman's tool once before, told him of the Annals of Yamanouchi, or of the other scrolls we possess.+"

"+He did not find the Annals?+"

"+No, Master. They were too well hidden. But he found the scroll which spoke of you, although he did not realize it.+"

Toshimiru laughed, "+And so the first action of the tool he sought was his own defeat.+"

"+Yes, Master. And soon after that you encompassed the defeat of the Yono.+"

"+I do not understand that,+" the ancient warrior said. "+The Englishman was soon back as flesh.+"

"+Yori, who had been denied the role as your vessel, called him forth to do her bidding. She bade him use his magic for the reconstruction of the school. She held him in thrall and allowed me to drive the demon's power from his body.+"

"+So, the Yono is no more?+"

"+I do not know, Master. Perhaps someone with sufficient power could bring him back to our world. I pray that the information to do such a thing is lost.+"

Toshimiru contemplated what had happened to him.

"+Why have I been allowed to linger in this form? You must have known for years that mine was not the spirit animating her body.+"

Sensei sighed, "+Again I lacked the courage to act. I did not know what to do. Your spirits are so integrated that if your spirit returns to the Lotus Blade I fear Hana will die.+"

"+I thought you said she has her own spirit within her.+"

"+She does, Master. But it draws on your strength. I had hoped that it would grow stronger and that you could leave. Perhaps it is strong enough, but I am not certain and fear your return to your rest would mean her death.+"

Toshimiru sat in contemplation, "+Perhaps it is a good thing to live in this world for a time. So much has changed since I drew breath. Through the girl I have experienced things I've never dreamed of: computers, television, and text messaging. I will stay on this plane a little longer. Perhaps her spirit will grow in strength.+"

"+You are wise, Master.+"

"+I simply use what I have been given to my own best advantage… Does Hiro know who I am?+"

"+I told him today.+"

"+Ah, the fear in his eyes when he saw me,+" Hana's face smiled, "+He thinks I will challenge him for the school.+"

"+Please, Master, I beg of you. Give Hiro your support.+"

"+He has never liked me… Hana… whoever I am. He is not ready to lead the school.+"

"+No one who followed you was ever ready for the task. When I became Head of School fifty years ago I was not ready. For ten years I heard that my leadership was inferior to my predecessor.+"

"+You believe Hiro will grow into the job?+"

"+And I fear for the school if he is not allowed the opportunity.+"

"+You fear for Yamanouchi if a man incapable of good leadership is not allowed to lead?+"

"+He is capable. He wanted the position for the honor of leading Yamanouchi, but deep within he wants to add to the glory of the school.+"

"+To add to his own honor,+" Toshimiru snorted.

"+Have you read the play Antigone?+"

"+I am not certain if I know what you are talking about+"

"+It is an ancient Greek play. Creon is the new king of Thebes. He wants very much to have the respect of the people and be a good king. His pride and desire to be thought a great leader brings ruin upon his city and his family. At the end of the play he has lost all he holds dear.+"

"+And you tell me this to comfort me and accept Hiro as head of my school?+"

"+I tell you that because Creon could have been a great king, had he been given the chance. He was a good and capable man brought down by fate. You could bring down Hiro, but would it be best for the school? Will students believe your identity or suspect you are a fraud? Would you be accepted and hailed, or rejected for being a woman? Do you wish to stay and watch the little details that the head of the school must care for? The job has not grown easier over the centuries.+" Sensei's voice was initially loud with passion as he made his case, but quickly grew weaker -- as each breath became more difficult. "+You have tasted some of the world's changes through Hana… I can tell you nothing, Master. I can only beg you to consider what I ask. But I trust that you will do nothing to weaken the school you…+"

Toshimiru sent the Lotus Blade back to its resting place. Hana would wish to mourn the passing of the school's former head. With the blade gone Hana reasserted control. She trembled at the memory of what she had heard. It explained odd dreams, memories, and sometimes even desires that drifted through her mind some evenings as she fell asleep, or mornings as she awakened. As she stretched out her hand to close Sensei's now sightless eyes she found her hand shaking. _"What am I?"_

---

Author's Note - Someone played with someone's memory in Hana's adoption. In Big Bother she came from the Middleton Adoption Agency, and the building was shown. In O No Yono she came from the Yamanouchi Adoption Agency - which was shown as a different building entirely.


	5. Long Way Home

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. All registered trade names property of their respective owners.

**A Long Way Home**

Weeping, Hana stumbled out of Sensei's room and into Yori's arms. Yori patted the girl on the back. "+You knew?+" Hana asked.

"+I knew. You saved my life, and the entire school.+"

"+But why was I never told?+"

"+Grandfather regarded the way you were summoned as a sign of his own weakness. He did not want to admit what he saw as his failure to you.+"

Yori held Hana for a few more minutes, then told her, "+Go, find your friend and a place for you two to stay. I must help with Grandfather's funeral.+"

Sheki had almost reached Yamanouchi when Hana met her. The pale girl considered a sarcastic comment about the hike, but saw how her friend looked and said nothing.

Hana had not seen Hiro after leaving Sensei's room. When the two women entered the school grounds, however, he was near the gate. Hana went down on her knees and gave him a formal saikeirei, her head touching the ground, as Sheki watched in vague disbelief and horror.

Hiro paused, not sure what was happening and wondering if Hana had some new sort of insult in mind.

"Bow to him," Hana whispered to her friend. "+Sensei, this is my friend, Sheki Possible. I beg your forgiveness for not consulting you before inviting her to your school.+"

"You may speak in English," He said bowing deeply. Hana rose to her feet. He turned to Sheki, "I met your mother. She helped our school, you are welcome." Then turning back to Hana, "I hope I may prove worthy of the honor I have received."

He left, preparations for Sensei's funeral and the responsibilities of his position driving other thoughts from his head for the moment.

"Who was that," Sheki whispered after he left.

"Hiro, the head of the school."

"Isn't he the guy you told me was such a jerk?" Hana nodded, acknowledging the truth of the question. "And you got down on your hands and knees?"

"Sometimes we much do the proper thing, even if our hearts question the wisdom of our actions. He is the head of _my_ school, and I honor it by honoring its leader."

Sheki could not understand the emphasis she imagined hearing when Hana said '_my_ school'.

Shego felt eyes on her as she hiked along a different trail. Once upon a time she knew every foot of the route to the school where she had trained, but it had grown unfamiliar over the years. She only spotted three watchers and didn't know whether to kick herself for not seeing more or congratulate herself for seeing any.

The path narrowed as it wound through a jumble of boulders, then opened on a large clearing. Her heart beat faster, but she held herself back from quickening her pace as she continued to the school. Three large buildings, in roughly a U shape defined a broad grassy training area. More than a dozen small buildings were scattered around behind the three halls. She saw no signs of life, which she could not understand, but as she drew closer a single figure emerged from one of the halls and walked slowly out to the middle ground. The individual seemed curiously familiar, yet strange. She came within twenty feet of him before something clicked, "Gunpei?"

"Ya 'ad to ask?"

"I remember you having more hair."

"Ouch, your mouth is going to cost ya points with the faculty, ya know that?"

"Faculty can't be any too bright these days if they've let you stay all these years."

"Another five demerits."

"Shit, Gunny, when did they start giving out demerits?"

"Hi did, just now. Hi was readin' bout them in the 'arry Potter books or somewhere."

"Well, you weren't reading them closely enough -- you slant-eyed Anglophile. Teachers give them out, not students."

"Ten more demerits."

"What the-- You shitting me? You're faculty?"

He grinned and nodded. She feinted with her right hand, then aimed a kick with her left foot. Shego found herself flipped and flat on her back on the grass. She wriggled out of her backpack and kicked up. "Well, you've gotten better," she admitted as she rose. "I always used to put you down with that."

"Thanks, Love. Hi don't think Hi'd be faculty if Hi hadn't gotten better. Shame you 'aven't learned anything."

"You know, Gunny, you really need to look up your old English teacher and beat the crap out of him."

Ten seconds later he picked himself off the ground, "Hi don't remember you usin' that style before," he commented as he rose and aimed a kick at her.

"Woman I work out with has a real eclectic style. She doesn't do pure anything, but she's effective."

"That would be Kim Possible," he commented as Shego rubbed her arm and congratulated herself for blocking his kick with no other damage.

"Yeah, how to you know about Kim?" Shego asked, unleashing a flurry of blows and amazed when he managed to deflect them all with nothing more than a couple glancing hits.

"We try and keep up with alumni," he said, tossing her twenty feet. "E'en the black sheep."

She rolled onto her feet in a defensive stance and he grinned and gave her a nod of approval.

"So I'm still considered black sheep around here," she asked as she threw him slightly further than he'd thrown her. He landed so well she politely applauded and he gave a theatrical bow in response. "You know I'm not wanted any more?"

"Not wanted? Not wanted?" He demanded ironically. "What the 'ell makes ya say yer're not? Ya've 'ad a bloody good job for years, pulling down serious quid and ya hain't given squat to the capital funds campaign!"

Shego couldn't take it any longer, and started to laugh. "Damn, Gunny, please tell me what's happening. Can I stay or are you chasing me out? And where the hell is everybody?"

"Well, the nippers are on a bit of an 'oliday. The senior faculty is mostly 'eaded over to Yamanouchi. Their 'Ead is dying and hit's mark of respect for faculty from the other schools to show up. Hi doubt we got twelve people 'round 'ere at the mo, an' Hi'm left in charge. Whatcha doin' 'ere?"

"I brought a friend over to Yamanouchi... Hell, I don't want to talk about that. Am I staying?"

"Ya'll kip in the master's 'all. Least for now. Hi was the pop quiz. Ya passed. End of the week ya'll need to prove you deserve ta stay there."

"Machiko still head of school?"

"Ya've been gone too long, Shego. 'E died years ago. Osamu leads the school now."

"Osamu? My Osamu?"

"Better not let 'is wife 'ear you say that. Ya've not followed things very well, 'ave ya?"

"You know about what happened the last time I was here?"

"Yeah," he answered softly, "but hit's bloody good to 'ave ya 'ere now."

"I suppose Lady Keiko is dead."

He nodded his head sadly.

"God, I'm going to miss her. She was old as dirt and totally incredible."

"We'll empty a bottle of saki tonight after dinner in 'er 'onour," Gunpei suggested.

As they walked towards the Master's Hall she murmured, "Thanks."

"Think nothin' of hit, Love. But Hi'm dead serious on the capital funds drive. We still need hinternet service in the south 'all."

"You're wired?" she asked in horror.

"'Ad to, Love. Little thing called the twenty-first century 'it us. They can live on roots an' berries up at Yamanouchi hif they want. We're preparin' for this world."

At Yamanouchi Hiro formally announced the death of Sensei, and ordered that training continue, as much as possible, around preparations for the ceremony honoring his memory. "+You will honor his memory, and his love for the school, best if you continue to work,+" He told them. Students were crammed two, and sometimes even three in the tiny rooms to open space up for the teachers of other schools as they arrived.

"I don't mind sharing a room with you," Hana joked as the girls emptied their packs, "even though you snore. But I'm not sure I'd feel safe with Kasy."

"I'm not sure anyone should feel safe with Kasy. And I don't snore!"

"Do so! We've been on sleepovers together."

"Do not!"

"Do so! You're as bad as Bonnie!"

"Your brother doesn't seem to mind."

They both laughed. "I believe that Ron has no reason for complaint," Hana said.

"Not if he knows what's good for him."

Hana developed a new morning ritual while at the school. Each morning she awoke before the other students and went to the small shrine at the school which housed the Lotus Blade and removed the weapon. Toshimiru then went down the path to the small shrine he had carved, now weathered by more than fifteen hundred winters and tens of thousands of rain storms, for an hour of contemplation.

After Toshimiru returned the Blade to its accustomed place Master Lunch Lady served Hana a bowl of rice gruel, even though other students finished their breakfasts a half hour earlier. Hiro took criticism from students who thought she was allowed to sleep later - he told them if they wished to rise early for extra mediation they were welcome to eat breakfast with her. Other criticism came from allowing Hana access to the relic of the school's founder, and from Master Lunch Lady on having to serve a late breakfast. Hiro did not feel secure enough yet to order obedience, but instead replied it was the will of the late Sensei. "+She held a special place in his heart, and asked that I show her the honor he would give her. I consider it his last request and honor it.+" Even if they questioned Hiro's leadership no one dared question Sensei's last request.

Sheki did not experience a full day of Yamanouchi training for the first two days after she arrived.

"I think I'm gonna die," Sheki moaned at the end of her third full day of training.

"I thought you were in shape," Hana teased.

"I was in shape for training," the pale girl complained. "This is just torture."

Hana thought for a minute, "I might have someone who can help you."

"Just kill me now and get it over with. I swear, Hana, another day like this will kill me."

"He has wonderful healing touch--"

"Oooh, I like the sound of that," Sheki purred.

"Mind out of gutter, please," Hana snapped. "But there is a serious condition to my asking him to see you. You are not allowed to ask him any question."

"No questions? What kind of a rule is that?"

"It is one based on you not knowing why you can't ask. And, if you knew what you don't know, you would know why you can't ask, but since you don't know you can't ask, and will just have to accept that it is good you don't know."

Sheki stared blankly at Hana, "What?"

"Trust me. You can't know. Do you want to feel better or not?"

"Okay. But can I ask you how old he is and if he's cute?"

"I love him very much, he is like little brother to me. He is fourteen and shows promise to be a great healer someday."

"Okay," Sheki grumbled. "No questions. Is there some curse or something that hits me if I break that promise?"

"My foot hits your head, and you don't get any help," Hana warned her as she left the room.

Twenty minutes later Hana was back with a young man Sheki had seen with Sensei's family during the ceremonies. His light brown hair and longer than average nose for a Japanese had caught her attention and she bit her tongue to keep from asking who he was.

"This is Sheki Possible," Hana said, introducing her to him.

"Radical, Kim's daughter?"

Sheki nodded.

"Stories," he demanded, "you got old stories? Stories from before she was with Shego?"

"Hush," Hana warned him and slapped him lightly on the side of the head. "She's in pain."

He carefully lowered a bag he had with him to the floor. "Where does it hurt?" he asked cheerfully.

"Everywhere," she groaned.

"Okay, take off your clothes."

"What!" Sheki gasped.

"Pervert," Hana sniped.

"Hey, 'everywhere' isn't very specific. I can apply acupressure for specific areas through clothes. You want healing salves, ointments, and creams applied for bruises and scrapes those go to the skin."

"Leave your underwear on," Hana told Sheki.

"Unless you want to take it off," he told her. "I won't mind."

Sheki turned to Hana, "You're staying in here, right?"

"No way I leave you with pervert boy," Hana assured her, softly slapping the young man on the side of the head again.

Sheki was surprised by how competent the young teen proved when he looked her over. He opened his bag and took out a small jar, "If Killjoy wasn't watching I'd volunteer to apply this myself. Rub this on the bruises on your front."

"Wow, that feels hot," Sheki gasped as she applied the salve.

"Yeah, and it's effective. Most of those will be gone in the morning. Now lay down on your futon, on your stomach."

Sheki felt a little self-conscious and Hana moved over to monitor the proceedings.

"Lots of aches and pains?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'm going to start with a acupressure to relieve some of the pain. There a few more bruises you can't see on your back -- I'll apply the salve to those. After that a little backrub and you'll probably sleep like a log."

"Not going to happen," Sheki predicted. "Not when I feel like this."

In minutes the edge was off the pain. The now familiar warmth tingled when he worked in the salve. Then skilled fingers began to loosen knotted muscles as he massaged her back, and Sheki began to relax as he worked the tension out of her. Her eyes slowly closed and a smile pulled the corners of her lips. Thirty minutes after the young man arrived Sheki was sound asleep. Hana unfolded a heavy blanket over the sleeping girl. The nights were still chilly on the mountain despite the early summer.

"+Not going to let me cop a feel while she's out?+" the young man teased.

"+Seriously, we need a long talk before I head home,+" Hana whispered.

"+Not much chance of that with Hiro watching us,+" he snorted.

"+We need to talk about him. For the sake of the school we need to be nicer to him.+"

"+Easier for you to say than me.+"

"+I know, and I'm sorry. We need to try.+"

He sighed, "+I'll try my best.+"

She kissed him on the cheek. "+I can ask for nothing more.+"

"+Can I ask for something? How about a real date with Sheki?+"

"+Down, Brother, she is too far out of your league.+" Hana held a hand in the air, "+She is like, here, and you're like, here,+" Hana said, holding her other hand below her waist.

He looked so sad Hana added, "+Girls mature faster than boys. The difference between fourteen and sixteen is great. Maybe you'll have a chance in a few years.+"

"+No way, she'll have some boyfriend by then.+"

"+Well, there is always her younger sister -- but then you have to wait for her. She's only eight.+"

"But she's a redhead, right.+"

Hana gave him a soft shove towards the door, "+Get out now, sexist pig.+"

"+Okay, but remember, we needed to talk before you go home.+"

Back in Middleton Sheki's sisters experienced their own pains and trials.

"Come on, Mom," Kasy complained, "since Eemah left we've eaten with Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Tim, Uncle Wade, the Rentons, and the Mankeys. Jessica's mom said she wondered if you knew how to turn on the stove."

_"Oh yeah,"_ Kim thought, _"like Tara has ever had to save the world. The hardest work she does is try and keep Josh from chasing every woman in town."_

"I swear, I'll bet you've got Global Justice transportation arranged to take us to dinner with the Dus," Kasy continued.

_"Okay, scratch dinner plans for tomorrow night,"_ Kim thought. "Look I didn't say we were going to someone's house for dinner. I suggested we eat out."

"We haven't eaten at home since Eemah and Sheki left," Jane pointed out.

"That's not true," her mother told her. "We had cold cereal the first morning after they left."

"Well, we almost had it. Why did you try to microwave cold cereal?" Kasy asked.

"Ron and Eemah always try new things in the kitchen. I thought I'd try something different."

"Did you know it was gonna explode?" Jane wanted to know.

"Of course not! I just hope no villain ever learns of the powerful force generated by Captain Crunch and milk in the microwave."

"And when will we be getting a new microwave?" Kasy demanded.

"I have my personal assistant at GJ looking for one now," Kim told her. "I want the exact same model." _"So Shego won't ask what happened to the old one."_

"Do we really hafta go out, _again_?" Jane whined.

"Fine, if you don't want to go out then you can make supper," Kim snapped at her daughters.

"It's not rocket science, Mommy, it's just macaroni and cheese," Jane informed her mother as she put a pot of water on the stove to boil.

Kasy looked through the refrigerator, reminding herself what they had on hand. In the process she dumped several items in the trash. "Mom, could you do a fast trip to the store for melon? That one went bad."

"Can I leave you two alone?"

"Sure I won't let half-pint use a knife. I'll cut up the carrots, celery and a couple apples for a relish tray."

"I can use a knife!" Jane objected.

"Not when Mommy's gone!"

"Can too!"

"Can not!"

Kim ran for the back door and the safety of the grocery. When she got back Jane was doctoring the macaroni and cheese box mix with extra cheddar, a little crumbled feta, and a generous sprinkling of chives. As she sat down at the table she wished she could get over her irrational fear of the kitchen. Then she remembered the exploding microwave, two toaster fires, a favorite shirt eaten by the food processor, and a coffee machine which worked for everyone but her. The garbage disposal incident still gave her nightmares. Perhaps her fear of the kitchen wasn't irrational. Maybe the appliances really were out to get her.

A mental call interrupted the sleep of a blond man that night. "Ron, I need to talk with you!"

He sat up in bed and managed a groggy, "What?"

He said it out loud, which half awakened the woman in bed beside him. "Huh?" she mumbled.

"Ron, we need to talk," the voice in his head repeated.

"Hana?" he asked aloud.

"What?" his wife demanded.

"Long distance call from Hana," he told her. "Go back to sleep."

"I didn't even hear the phone ring…" she managed to say before drifting off.

He slipped out of bed and headed for an easy chair. In the dark he stepped on a small toy with wheels left in the hallway and took a mighty crash. Fortunately the small people had inherited their father's ability to sleep through almost anything.

When he finally sat down he cleared his mind, "Hana? Is it really you?"

"Yeah, I found I can do stuff I didn't realize before…"

"You don't sound happy."

"I'm not. I'm scared, Ron. I don't know what to do. It's like my whole life is fake."

"Hey, you're speaking better!"

"I'm not speaking better, goofball. We aren't really talking, remember? At least not with words."

"Sensei taught you how to do this?"

There was a moment's silence before he heard her in his mind again, "Sensei is dead."

"Mom said she thought that was why you were going over."

"He… He said he needed to tell me about myself before he died… Ron, I don't know who I am anymore."

"Oh, easy one. I can answer that. You're my kid sister."

"I'm serious Ron. Everything I know is wrong. I don't know what to do. I don't even know if I should come home or simply disappear."

"That's just crazy talk!"

"No it's not! I'm not me! I mean, I'm not who I think I am. And I don't know if Mom and Dad really love me, or love who they think I am, or if Sensei played with their heads to make them think they love me."

Ron paused. He didn't use this means of communication often enough to know how well Hana could sense his concern. "Mom is worried. I mean, really worried. I've been on the phone with her for, like, hours, since you've been gone. You've got to promise me you won't do anything without coming home and talking with them first."

"I don't know if I can make that promise."

"You've got to. 'Cause if you can contact me then I can contact you. You want my voice in your head calling, 'Hana' every hour on the hour until you agree?"

He felt her laughter in his mind. It felt good. "I promise I will not do anything without talking to Mom and Dad in person."

"Cool. Mom said Shego planned to stay two weeks. That right?"

"Yeah, I hope I have my head back together by then. Later."

"Yeah, hope you do have your head back together." He thought. He decided to sit for a minute before going back to bed and try and understand what was happening with Hana. He was still in the chair, snoring, at dawn.

One evening, more than a week after the three women left Middleton Toshimiru gazed into the depths of a divining bowl and smiled. The Han dynasty had ended a century before his time in China. But a school of magic founded by the Han court had seen his potential and trained him in the occult arts. He mentally thanked the Han teachers as he realized he had the answer to one of the questions worrying Hana. She seemed more conscious of the times when he controlled the body than he was aware of the times when she was in charge, so he knew the knowledge was in her mind as well.

Hiro sighed as he stood and looked over the school. He had not realized how much he had relied on Sensei's wisdom and missed the advice. Hana's sudden appearance before him startled him, but he managed not to show it as she bowed deeply.

"+Sensei?+"

He hesitated, uncertain how to address her. "+Yes?+"

"+I wish to leave Yamanouchi two days earlier than I had anticipated, and seek your permission.+"

"+You've never asked my permission before. Is this some way to mock me?+"

"+No, Sensei. Before his death old Sensei asked that I give you my support in every way I can.+"

"+That was his request?+"

"+It was his final request, that I do nothing to harm the school. He said you will be a great leader.+"

"+I don't feel like a great leader,+" he confessed. "+I feel lost. I miss his wisdom.+"

"+I believe we all miss his wisdom.+"

He hesitated, "+There were many times I shared my ideas with him before I told anyone else. I will need another confidant. May I consult with you on those occasions?+"

"+I believe, Sensei, you should speak first with your wife. She also puts the welfare of the school first.+"

He started to scowl, then admitted, "+Perhaps you are right.+"

"+Thank you, Sensei.+"

"+Thank you… Master.+"

She disappeared into the dusk. He wondered briefly if he could use her against her brother Ron. As attractive as the idea appeared, however, he decided it would not help the school. Perhaps it was time to give up his old resentment towards Ron and concentrate on being the Head that Sensei had hoped he would be. And perhaps Hana was right that he should do more with his wife. Sensei's last words to Hiro had been he should work harder on his marriage.


	6. Long Overdue Meeting

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. All registered trade names property of their respective owners.

**Long Overdue Meeting**

"I'm having second thoughts," Sheki confessed to Hana as they rode the bus towards the city whose cemetery Hana had selected for their ghost hunt. "I mean, I'd really get upset if someone tried to destroy Helen. Isn't this killing for the sake of killing and wrong?"

"You must re-examine your ethical priorities," Hana reminded her. "First, since the jikininki are not alive you can not kill them. Helen threatens no one. The jikininki can bring harm. They themselves would not wish this existence if they could think. They are animals -- ruled by their taste for human flesh. Destroyed they have a chance for better existence. "

"So I just keep reminding myself I'm doing them a favor."

"No, you think only of protecting yourself. They are animals, thinking only of their appetites. Because we can see them we are unusually vulnerable to them and must take special care."

"And this blade will really work against them?"

"I wielded the wakizashi on several such vigils. Do my summers still seem preferable to camp?"

"Okay, maybe not quite as much fun as it sounded back in Middleton. And I wish this thing was longer."

"Some nights, so did I. But you can't order enchanted blades online and must accept what you have."

They rode in silence for several minutes, until Hana felt compelled to make her own confession. "Sheki?"

"Yes?"

"I do not know quite how to say this. I tried to explain the two spirits in me."

The pale girl nodded.

"When I hold the Lotus Blade the spirit of Toshimiru dominates."

Sheki thought for a minute. "Okay, well he's part of you so I guess I'm cool with that."

Hana let her breath out slowly. "He finds you attractive."

Sheki stared at her in shock, "Say what?"

"I am sorry," Hana apologized. "He is a man of honor and I do not think he will try to take advantage of you--"

"I'm not sure how he could."

Hana almost smiled, "That is true. But I felt I should explain that to you."

It took Sheki another minute before knowing what to say, "Can we introduce him to Kasy?"

"Give me a break," Hana squealed. "He'd have to use my body. And I'd be there. And I'm not into girls either. At least the girl part of me isn't."

A few minutes later Sheki asked a question that had been troubling her, "Are the hungry ghosts common, or will we just be wandering through a cemetery after dark?"

"I really can't say. When I hunt alone I sometimes find gaki or jikininki. Because we are more in touch with their world than others we are also more vulnerable, which makes us even more attractive to them--"

"Great," Sheki grumbled, "Kasy gets all the cute guys and I get the ghosts."

Hana laughed, "The jikininki are often found around cemeteries, even though most Japanese cremate. I hope we may find some there this night."

If Hana had removed the Lotus Blade from her backpack Toshimiru might have sensed something about her hope. He might have heard the sounds that whistled around the bus and felt invisible shadows which swirled around as a gathering host of undead spirits trailed them. The girls could not dream how successful their hunt would be, although the line between hunter and prey would blur.

Once in town the girls checked into a hotel near the cemetery. Neither had much to unpack and Hana flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"So, what we gonna do until tonight?" Sheki asked.

Hana hesitated, "To tell you the truth, the reason we are here, and not someplace like Tokyo, is because I need to see someone."

"That's cool. I'll hang at the ginza or whatever they call a mall here in Japan. We'll catch up for dinner?"

"I wish you would go with me. I am very frightened."

"We're going to fight hungry ghosts tonight and you're scared now? Who is it?"

"The woman who gave me birth."

There was a minute of uncomfortable silence. "And you're going to meet her?"

"I did not say I would meet her. I will see her. She passes through the Jizo garden on this day every week."

Sheki went along to provide moral support on Hana's quest. "It doesn't look much like a garden to me," she complained as the two young women sat on a bench in a playground and regarded the area to one side of the playground. "What's it all about? Is that some god statue or something? What are all those little things?"

"I do not know how well I can explain this, please remember I am non-observant Jew, and I would say Toshimiru is pure Shinto--"

"Pure Shinto?"

"He does not have a name for his religion… He does not even possess a word religion. He has the way he thinks things should be done. He saw Buddhism when he fought in China, but it was foreign to him -- it did not arrive in Japan until a couple hundred years after his death. The two cross-pollinated each other here--"

"I bet a historian would love to talk with him!"

"Probably, or perhaps cultural anthropologist. Anyway, I am trying to tell you that neither of us know Buddhism well. But I spend time over here, and took comparative religion, so I will attempt to explain. The big statue represents the Bodhisattva Jizo--"

"Bodhisattva?"

"In Buddhism there are better worlds than this, and worse worlds. You keep getting reincarnated when you are born again. The Bodhisattvas were, like, super-smart people and could have moved to Nirvana. But because they want to help others they stay in one of the better worlds. And if you ask for their help they will give it to you."

"Okay," Sheki said slowly. "I think I see," even though she was pretty sure she didn't.

"The big statue over there is Jizo, who often helps women and children. The little images are called mizuko, water babies--"

"Sorry I keep interrupting," Sheki apologized. "Water babies?"

"For children who die in the womb. If a woman has a miscarriage, or a still birth, or an abortion, she may set up a mizuko figure in the garden to ask Jizo to help the child find a better birth the next time."

"Some of them have bibs or baby hats on them."

"And there are a few baby bottles over there too. I think there is some sort of small festival or something later in the summer, but I'm usually home by then and I'm not Buddhist. Some people put the baby hats and things on the mizuko to remind Jizo of their continued concern."

The two sat quietly, Sheki watching the children on the playground and Hana scanning passersby. Suddenly the Japanese girl grabbed her friend's arm, "That's her!"

Sheki looked over, and saw a woman accompanied by two children, probably in their early teens, taking the path through the Jizo garden. Sheki was on her feet, pulling a digital camera out of her pocket, and moving before the startled Hana could stop her. Hana wanted to scream at her to stop, but was afraid to call attention to herself so she sat nervously -- cursing Sheki in her mind and wondering what she planned.

The pale girl moved to intercept the small family. They cooperated with her plan by pausing in front of the large image, which allowed her the time to 'accidentally' meet them. "Please excuse me," Sheki said, executing the small bow she had picked up at Yamanouchi, "do any of you speak English?"

"Speak some English," the young boy said.

"I'm a Methodist and I had a question or two, if I could."

"Methodist?" the boy repeated and turned and asked his mother something in Japanese.

"Forgive us," the mother said, "we do not know that country."

"Sorry. I'm from America. Methodist is a kind of Christian. I don't understand this place. Someone told me these," she pointed at the mizuko figures, "were put up by women who had lost babies."

"Yes," the mother said, and pointed to two standing together. "One die in miscarriage. One die at birth."

"And these are your children?" Sheki asked.

"Oh yes," the mother said putting her arms around the children, to the boy's obvious discomfort, and smiling broadly.

Sheki held up her camera. "We don't have anything like this where I come from," she said, "could one of you take my picture?"

"Sure," the boy said, then gave her a look of utter disgust when she tried to explain how to work it. "This one is easy."

The pale girl stood so the Jizo figure would be seen beside her. When he handed the camera back to her Sheki asked, "I hate to bother you. But could I take a picture of your family?"

Sheki tried to find an angle where she could take the family shot and get in the mizuko the woman had pointed to, but since the little images all looked the same she couldn't be certain. "I don't think that came out well," she lied about the first shot, "let me try another."

"Thanks," Hana said when Sheki got back to her.

"You should have talked with her," Sheki scolded. "You look a little like her."

"No way would I talk with her."

"Why not? She's your mother."

"Don't you get it? I was born dead. I'm supposed to tell her 'I'm the baby you lost eighteen years ago'? Even if she doesn't think I'm a crazy who does she start to blame? The hospital for lying to her? Who stole her baby? No, I was dead. And for her I stay dead. I'm not opening up a eighteen year old wound. I don't even really know if I'm her child or some other spirit came in when Toshimiru energized the body."

Hana looked like she was starting to lose it, and Sheki threw an arm around her friend and gently rocked her back and forth while repeating, "You're going to be okay, you're going to be fine."

After a couple minutes Hana regained control, "You lie as bad as your Eemah."

"No, I lie as good as my Eemah," Sheki corrected her. "And you looked like you needed it."

"I did… Let's go get something to eat."

---

Author's Note: Jizo is the Japanese name for the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha.


	7. Long Night

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners.

**Long Night**

Hana and Sheki slipped into the cemetery after sundown. The bright moon enabled Sheki to see almost as well as her friend.

"Let's stay together," Hana whispered as they walked down a major path through the necropolis.

"And I have to hit them twice with this thing?" Sheki asked about the weapon she held.

"Yes, its enchantment is not as great as the Lotus Blade's. And you can not wield my weapon."

Despite the warmth of the night a chill wind whistled through the graveyard.

"Do you feel the cold?" Sheki asked.

"Yes, but not natural cold. The hunt will prove successful." The Japanese girl peered down the path. "Ahead of us twenty meters."

Sheki expected something which looked more like Helen. What she saw was thin and insubstantial, hardly more than smoke. It moved almost like smoke as well, but smoke with long thin arms ending with claws. It floated just ahead of them as they moved towards the center of the cemetery. A second joined the first, and then a third.

They seemed to understand the power of the Lotus Blade and stayed several meters away. Hana considered changing the shape of the Lotus Blade, or trying a sudden attack, but decided to let Sheki participate in what developed.

The women advanced to a spot where two paths intersected. Two wraiths already swirled and twisted at the crossroad. The five shapes circled, sometimes drawing nearer, but always staying out of reach of the Lotus Blade. Hana made a sudden lunge and one disappeared. "Remember, you must strike it twice," she reminded her friend. The four remaining jikininki stayed at a greater distance as they circled, then, as if finding the prey dangerous, they drifted away, three down one path and the fourth in another direction.

"Follow the one," Hana ordered, sprinting after the three. A quick slash and their number was reduced to two -- which increased the speed of their flight.

Perhaps the one Sheki followed realized her blade was less potent, or shorter. It danced just beyond her reach. Nervously she swung in vain, then began to pursue it actively. It fled down the main path, then gusted to the right on a narrow path between the graves. She followed as it shifted left. She smiled at having it on the run and pursued it on its new course. At first she thought the night had gotten darker because the tombs which crowded the narrow path blocked the moonlight. Then she realized dozens of the wraiths had awaited her arrival. She glanced back, she couldn't see the path out through the jikininki which blocked it completely.

Sheki swung at them, but the dark wraiths swirled around like smoke. She wondered how many she had hit at all, and how many she had hit twice for with the number crowding around her she had no sense if any had disappeared or not.

But while they seemed insubstantial to her as she swung the wakizashi at them the claw-like talons tore her clothes and scratched her skin as they attacked. She tried to keep them back but there were too many, and they came at her on all levels, drifting near the ground like a mist, floating above her in the air and reaching down at her face, and crowding in at her from every side. She retreated until she stood with a mausoleum of some sort at her back to it and took a stand, at least she was safe from behind. She breathed a little prayer that Hana was okay and would come to her rescue.

One of the jikininki crept within the swing of her weapon and caught her arm. It didn't have enough power to immobilize her arm, but it slowed her down slightly, and then another grabbed her arm. The sheer number of the creatures pulled her down, she opened her mouth to scream, but buried under them she could make no sound.

Although individually weak they wrapped around her as her struggles grew weaker and it became increasingly harder for her to breathe. Finally, her struggles stopped completely.

Toshimiru looked around, realizing he had fallen into a trap -- a trap not meant for him, but for Sheki. He had allowed himself to be lured away. He no longer knew where she was, for a moment he wasn't even certain where he was in the vast city of the dead. "+Find Sheki,+" he whispered to his blade. With a mind of its own it jerked him north and he ran hard, jumping small monuments like hurdles and running over the tops of ancient crypts.

The jikininki realized his goal and more swirled around him, trying to distract him again or lure him into vain chase. He swung his blade, creating a virtual net around him and the ghosts which dared to get close were sucked into their destruction by the winds that whistled around him as he swung the blade.

Toshimiru's heart was suddenly in Hana's throat as he saw a huge gathering of the wraiths at the foot of a mausoleum some thirty meters ahead. If it was Sheki inside the pile he worried he might be too late, and if Sheki was not there he had lost her completely.

He heard nothing of her from within the ghastly cocoon, but he still dared not strike with the Lotus Blade in the form of a katana, he might cut Sheki if she was inside. The Lotus Blade shifted in form, taking on the shape of a sai, and the ancient warrior began to strike at the ghosts with the knuckle. The enchanted blade was equally effective against the jikininki in any form, but would only bruise Sheki if he struck her by accident.

The ghosts swirled like hornets whose hive has been struck. They hoped to dine on flesh and were angry at the intrusion. Some fled in panic from the mystic weapon, while other attacked the source of their irritation and some continued to tear and claw at Sheki.

The wraiths tried to pull Hana down as well, but with the warrior's rage coursing through her and the weapon they dared not face simply brought an end to suffering for even more of them as Hana fought to reach the darkest spot in the gathering of the ghosts.

Toshimiru finally glimpsed Sheki's body through the smoke-like ghosts. She lay so still a scream of rage tore from his throat. He pushed into the throng and managed to stand astride her body. The Lotus Blade twisted in form again, assuming the favored shape of a katana. Like smoke in a hurricane the wraiths melted from his rage - destroyed or fleeing - until the area was clear of their filth and the stars shone on them clear and bright.

Hana dropped to her knees to examine Sheki. The teenager was cut and bruised, gasping her need for fresh air and fighting to regain consciousness. As the pale girl recovered her senses she grabbed Hana and held on tight. "Thank you," she sobbed, "thank you."

Toshimiru returned the embrace. "I am glad you are alive. We should not have come. I worried I had lost you. Are you all right?"

"I think so, get me out of here."

Hana did not immediately end the embrace, and Sheki did not complain. Given the fear she had experienced only minutes earlier she appreciated the comfort. After a couple minutes, however, she asked, "You're Toshimiru, aren't you?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Watch the hands."

"So sorry," he apologized. "I've been living in America, growing up again with Hana. In the old days I would never have dreamed of--"

Sheki raised an eyebrow, "Oh yeah, I'll bet you never took advantage of a maiden you rescued in the old days."

"Well, perhaps sometimes," he admitted. "This probably won't help me with the request I wished to make."

"What is that?"

"I wish to find a place which serves saki and drink with you and speak of the fight until we are both drunk."

"And then you plan to take advantage of me?" Sheki asked.

"No! I simply like to enjoy saki after a fight, no matter how unworthy the foe."

"Well, I've been drunk once and found it enough for now. And I'm not going drinking with a thousand year old lech."

"Lech?"

"Dirty old man."

"Would you feel any better if I told you I find your Eemah a very attractive woman also?"

"Eeeww! No! Now I need brain soap. Can you put Hana back in charge?"

Toshimiru shrugged, "I suppose." The blade again twisted and changed shape, assuming the form of a bracelet. "Here, put this on your wrist. Let me carry the wakizashi."

Hana stood, and gave Sheki a hand to get up. "Are you really okay?"

"Yeah, just like a told Toshi… Did you catch any of that when… Where are you when you aren't you?"

"I guess I'm sort of there," Hana mused. "It is like being drowsy and not fully aware of what happens around you. I had some idea of what was happening, but could not feel in control. I think I probably have a better sense of what is happening than he does when I'm in charge.."

"Did you hear his request?"

"That he wants me to get drunk?"

"That's the one. Are you even legal?"

"Here in Japan I am… I do not know what to think. I have no great desire to get drunk, but I feel like I owe him a debt for saving you."

"Can't we blame him at all for me getting into trouble?"

"I believe that we brought that on ourselves," Hana pointed out.

Sheki sighed, "Let's go back to the room. I need to clean these cuts and change clothes. We can decide from there where we want to go."

On the way back to the hotel Hana put a mental call into Yamanouchi.

"You said we'd talk before you left," the young healer's voice spoke in her head.

"Sorry, I needed to see the woman who gave me birth. But we fought jikininki and Sheki was hurt--"

"Badly?"

"No, but I ask for help. Could you find a bus and get here early tomorrow before we leave for America?"

"Only for you, Sister."

Back at their room Hana helped strip Sheki's torn clothes from her and treated the small scratches and cuts on the younger girl's body. A few hours later Sheki returned the favor as she stripped Hana and put her to bed. "You are so lucky I'm here and not Kasy," the pale girl told her older friend, "she would enjoy this way too much." As an afterthought she added, "Toshi, don't know if you can hear me, but that was for you. Thanks for saving my butt. I hope you can suffer the headache as much tomorrow as Hana will."


	8. Long Flight Back

Boilerplate Disclaimer: Disney owns the various characters from the Kim Possible series. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners.

**Long Flight Back  
**

Hana grabbed the phone before the first ring ended. Her head hurt, but she managed to mumble a greeting soft enough to allow Sheki to remain asleep.

"+Time for breakfast, Sleepyhead,+" a familiar voice told her.

"+Give me a minute to dress.+"

"+Do you feel as bad as you look?+" the young healer asked her down in the lobby.

"+Worse," she muttered. "+What's for breakfast?+"

"+Korean.+"

Hana groaned, "+My stomach isn't ready for that.+"

When they reached the food stall she ordered steamed rice and tea, and watched in awe as he attacked a banchan platter which would have been outlawed in forty-six states in America as a lethal weapon. "+Sure you don't want a bite?+" he asked, holding up some kimchi that glistened with hot sauce between his chopsticks.

Hana turned greener than Shego as her stomach threatened to rebel. "+Don't do that!+"

"+Sorry, Sis. You said we need to talk.+"

"+Yes, but I'm afraid this side trip messed that up. There's not enough time. Thanks for coming down.+"

"+When do I see Sheki?+"

Amused, Hana shook her head, "+After breakfast. But I had a question.+" There was a minute of silence before she screwed up her courage to ask, "+Did you know about me? Who I am?+"

"+I was told the day before you arrived. Sensei wasn't sure if you'd make it or not. I was appointed to explain it to you if you didn't make it in time.+"

"+The family takes too much pride in guarding its secrets.+"

"+Yeah,+" he agreed, "+you should have been told. What are your plans?+"

"+I don't know. Sensei believed Hiro will grow into his role of leader if we give him a chance. I don't like Hiro, but I think Sensei was right -- he is the man who should have the job now. I'm wondering if I should skip coming to Yamanouchi for a couple years, give him some time to grow without worrying about me looking over his shoulder.+"

"+God, no!+" the boy objected, "+You think he doesn't like you? It's worse for me. You're my best friend in the world. Mom won't let me visit in America so you've got to come here or I'll go crazy.+"

"+Crazier,+" she corrected him, "+you're already crazy.+"

"+Not funny.+"

"+Yeah, sucks being you.+"

"+Sounds like it sucks being you too.+"

"+It sucks being us,+" they said together and gave each other a high five.

"+Seriously, I've tapped into Toshi's ability to call across space. I promise to start communicating with you regularly. Will that help?+"

"+That would help tons. But don't swear off coming over. This was a very short trip this summer - two lousy weeks.+"

"+Okay, I'll try be back in a year, or sooner. No promises.+"

The two ate and chatted until Hana noticed the time, "+We need to move. Sheki and I need to catch a bus to Maebashi.+"

They hurried to the hotel, "We got company," Hana called as they entered the room. "You need your injuries looked after."

"Wha?" a sleepy Sheki yawned.

"Hana says you were scratched by the jikininki, the wounds need to be treated."

She opened her eyes, "You again? The scratches weren't deep."

"But it is very important they be cleaned properly."

"Why? Untreated do they give me an infection?"

"Worse, they can give you a curse."

She yawned, "You got the treatment?"

He held up a stone jar, "This salve is what you need."

Sheki pulled off her top, "Okay!"

"Sheki!" Hana protested.

"Booyah!" the healer said softly as he stared hard.

Hana slapped him lightly on the side of the head, "Salve, Romeo."

"Is my nose bleeding?" His hand was shaking so hard he was afraid to touch her.

"Yee-oooww!" Sheki groaned, "That stuff is cold."

"Sorry," he apologized, never taking his eyes off her breasts, "maybe I should have told you this stuff is cold instead of hot."

"Yeah, would have been nice," the pale girl agreed.

"How come I'm the only guy in Japan without a camera phone?"

Hana slapped him on the side of the head again, a little more firmly. "Pervert!"

"Am not! This is every red-blooded boy's dream come true."

"Well while you're dreaming, give me that," Sheki said as she grabbed the stone jar from his hand, picked up some clothes and headed for the bathroom. "I'll treat the lower cuts myself," she called over her shoulder.

"I'll be happy to help with any hard to reach places," he assured her.

"If a topless picture of Sheki got on the internet we'd find out if your blood is red," Hana told him. "The second thing her Eemah would do is hunt you down and kill you."

"What's the first thing?"

"First she kills her," Hana explained. She handed him two wrapped bundles, the Lotus Blade and the wakizashi.

"+Couldn't you just send the Lotus Blade back?+" he asked, slipping into Japanese.

"+I suppose so. I could probably call it to America if I wanted. But I want it to be carefully placed in its home. It shows the blade respect.+"

The three went to the bus stop together. Hana gave him a hug and kiss. "Do I get one from you?" he asked Sheki.

She laughed and complied. He grinned after she kissed his cheek. Sheki complained to Hana as they watched him board his bus, "When you promised me cute guys I thought you meant someone a little older."

Shego arrived first in Maebashi, making sure the plane had been serviced correctly for the return flight. While she looked over the plane a truck pulled into the hanger with the security man from Lipsky and Load, two security men from a Japanese high tech firm, and two government security men who needed to verify the cargo in the truck before it could be loaded. Shego noted that her passenger had easily twice as much personal luggage as he carried on the trip over.

The green woman was starting to worry about Hana and Sheki when the two arrived, looking tired. Shego peered closely at Hana, while she could not be certain she had a peculiar feeling the Japanese girl looked hung over.

"You two look like shit," Shego called cheerily. "My school left me feeling great."

"That's wonderful, Eemah," Sheki yawned.

"Yeah, they confirmed I've still got my act together. Still a double master and going to start working on a third style."

"What will that be, Ms. O'Ceallaigh?" Hana asked.

"Tai Sheng Pek Kwar," Shego cried, lunging at Hana. Tired and hung-over or not, Shego quickly found herself flat on her back on the tarmac, laughing loudly. "Hana, we never discussed what you owe me for making this trip especially for you, did we?"

"No, Ms. O'Ceallaigh."

"You can work your bill off giving me lessons. I told them I knew a great trainer."

Sheki gave her mother a hand up off the concrete.

"Thanks," Shego told her daughter. "Weird how much time I've spent on my back this trip. I mean, weird to spend so much time on my back without your Mom around."

"Eemah," Sheki complained, "you're embarrassing me _again_."

Kim and Jane sat on stools in the kitchen and Kasy held up her right hand, showing it empty. She made a gesture and, with a little sleight-of-hand, an egg seemed to magically appear. She held the hen fruit up between thumb and fingers. "Now, does anyone know what this is? Two answers will be accepted."

Jane's hand shot into the air.

"Yes, little person?"

"It's an egg."

"That is one correct answer." Kasy turned to Kim, "She took the easy answer, but there is another correct answer. What is this?"

"It's not an egg?"

"Yes, it's an egg, but also something in addition to an egg."

"Fresh?" Kim suggested. "Rotten? Hard-boiled?"

"Mom, it is so much more than just an egg. It's a possibility. Like you it can do anything! Poached; fried: hard, over easy, or sunny-side up; scrambled; and boiled, hard or soft. It stars in omelets, egg salad, deviled eggs, and quiche. It's an ingredient in all kinds of things - challah, cake, muffins. It's not an egg, it's an adventure. Eemah even says you can use it for emergency repairs for small holes in the radiator and use the yolk to get bubblegum out of a kid's hair."

"Could you use it to get bubblegum out of a big person's hair?" Jane interrupted. "Francis got gum in his Mom's hair and they had to cut it out."

"Maybe they didn't know about egg yolks," Kasy suggested.

"Or peanut butter," Kim mentioned. "That's what we always used on Kasy," she told Jane, "she went to pre-school a lot of days with her hair smelling like peanut butter."

"Not in front of the small fry," Kasy hissed. "And besides, you're getting off topic. This morning's subject is 'Having fun with Mr. Egg at breakfast'. What do you want to try?"

Kasy said nothing, twenty minutes later, as she crunched on her two eggs, over easy.

"I, uh, hear the shells are actually good for you," Kim said optimistically. "Rich in calcium for strong bones and teeth."

Kasy took it philosophically, Eemah and Sheki were supposed to be coming home today.

Hana and Sheki both slept for the entire return flight. Fortunately the young security man was up to the task of working a microwave and keeping Shego company in the cockpit.

When they touched down in Middleton all three women were happy to be home. Hana lagged slightly behind as Shego and Sheki looked for their family. The Japanese woman still wasn't sure what to say to the Stoppables. She spotted them as soon as she got inside the terminal, but paused, nervous and uncertain, rather than going to them.

They hurried over toward their daughter, however, and she decided to be blunt, "I learned my adoption was fake. Sensei lied to you. He did something to make you accept it when he brought me to this country."

Her parents looked at each other for a few seconds before her father spoke, "We know that. Sensei told us about some of what he did about a year after you arrived. Technically we know your adoption is illegal. That's part of our worry, we're always afraid you'll meet your birth mother in Japan and she'll say she changed her mind about giving you up."

_"Apparently Sensei did not tell them everything."_ "I saw the woman who gave birth to me on this trip." Hana felt her mother tense as she said those words.

"What did she say to you?" Rachel asked.

"She said nothing. We did not speak. I wanted to see that she looked happy. She did not see me, or, if she did, she did not know who I was. To her I am dead and I will do nothing to change that in her mind." _"They knew the adoption was fake, and they never told me. What other lies have they told me?"_

Rachel's arms tightened around her daughter, and she kissed the girl on the forehead. Her dad put a hand on her shoulder and gently massaged it, "We love you so much," he told her, "we couldn't bear to lose you."

"Do you really love me," Hana asked softly. "Sensei said he had played with your memories when he brought me here, making you think you had filled out all the forms and done all the paperwork. Did he play with your minds to make you think you love me? Am I a burden that you were brainwashed into accepting?"

"Don't ever say that again," her father warned.

"Sensei may have manipulated our thoughts about accepting the adoption as legal. But we really had wanted another child besides Ron," her mom told her.

"We'd given up when we found out how long, and difficult, and expensive the process was," her father continued. "I can probably find the letters we wrote to agencies long before you arrived if you need proof. I think they're in a shoebox somewhere in the basement."

Hana breathed a little sigh of relief. It hurt to have been lied to by the two people, besides her brother, she felt she could always trust. But they had wanted her. And the only lies they had told grew from their fear of losing her.

Rachel went on with the story, "When Sensei came and admitted the deception he used to arrange the adoption we didn't know what to think. We were afraid he had come to take you. He said that if we had any doubts you could go back to Yamanouchi with him to be raised."

"What happened?" Hana asked.

Rachel laughed, "Your father threatened to throw him out of the house for suggesting we had any doubts about you."

Hana smiled at the image of her father trying to throw Sensei.

"He liked that answer, and he told your mom and me that he would do all he could to make the adoption papers look right, so there could never be a legal challenge."

Hana buried in face in her mother's shoulder, laughing and crying at the same time. "You really love me? Despite it all, you really love me?"

"We really love you," her father assured her.

"Let's stop on the way home and pick up a carton of maple-pecan ice cream," Rachel suggested.

Hana laughed, "You're the best, Mom. Let's go home." _"I'll tell you about Toshimiru some other day."_

The Possibles and O'Ceallaighs watched from a distance as the Stoppables left the terminal.

Kim and Shego had their arms around each other's waists. "Good to have you home."

"Good to be back, Kim. What do you have planned for tonight?"

"What do I have planned? You leave me to take care of the house and two kids for two weeks while you go off and it's what do _I_ have planned? You owe me!"

Shego raised an eyebrow and leered at her partner, "Oh, sounds like we need to negotiate. I'm very, very good with negotiations."

"Never try to negotiate with a lawyer," Kim warned the girls, "you'll be lucky if you can keep the shirt on your back."

"You sure won't keep it on tonight," Shego whispered in Kim's ear.

"Will you two ever grow up?" Sheki demanded.

"Not to worry," Kasy told her twin. "We've got a sleepover at Briana's and Jane gets to spend the night with cousin Stacy, these two can be as loud as they won't and it won't bother anyone."

Sheki laughed and gave her sister a high five, "Way to go! I don't know why people say you're the dumb one."

Kasy shot her a dirty look, and Jane spoke up, "Won't Smaug and Helen be home?"

"Well, there won't be anyone alive and human for Mommy and Eemah to bother."

"Let's go," Shego suggested. "I just want to get home and unwind. By the way, what is for dinner tonight?"

"I thought we'd go out to someplace nice," Kim told her.

"Ah, Mom, not _again_," Kasy groaned.

Kim drove back. She parked in the driveway as the rest of the family got out and Sheki and Shego grabbed their bags. Kim started the engine, and Shego demanded, "Where you going?"

"I, ah, need to get a few things at the grocery store," Kim explained.

"Okay, but I expect you back soon!" Shego called as Kim backed out.

Kim was almost a block from the house, but had the distinct feeling she heard Shego's voice as the pale woman stepped in the house, "DID ANYONE DO ANY CLEANING WHILE I WAS GONE!"

--The End--

---

AN: Francis received his only prior mention in A Markov's Follow the Queen II: Deuces Wild.


End file.
